The present invention relates generally to photovoltaic techniques. More particularly, the present invention provides a method and structure for a thin film photovoltaic device using a copper indium diselenide species (CIS), copper indium gallium diselenide species (CIGS), and/or others. The invention can be applied to photovoltaic modules, flexible sheets, building or window glass, automotive, and others.
In the process of manufacturing CIS and/or CIGS types of thin films, there are various manufacturing challenges, such as maintaining structure integrity of substrate materials, ensuring uniformity and granularity of the thin film material, etc. Some of the difficulties in manufacturing are associated with transferring substrates to processing chambers, as substrates for CIS and/or CIGS devices are relatively heavy (e.g., 10 pounds per substrate). While conventional techniques in the past have addressed some of these issues, they are often inadequate in various situations. Therefore, it is desirable to have improved systems and method for manufacturing thin film photovoltaic devices.